The first thing you usually notice about someone as their eyes but what you may not notice is that sometimes those eyes are covered with prosthetic contact lenses. When we think of a prosthesis we usually think of a prosthetic limb or maybe even a heart or organ but prosthetics can be made for any part of a body even the eyes.

Now this is not the same as a glass eye, it is just a lens replacement that fits right over the eye just like any type of contact lens. These prosthetic lenses also usually require the same type of maintenance as regular contact lenses and they feel just the same on.

These lenses might be used by someone who has had a disfiguring eye injury or some sort of a eye defect that they've had since birth. Anyone who has an abnormal looking eye might be able to change the look of it with a prosthesis. For example, some people have one eye that is lighter than the other (known as albinism) and others have a darkened iris that looks like a large pupil.

Sometimes prosthetic contact lenses will be used to bring an eye that has crossed back into alignment. This means that no surgery needs to be done but when you put the lens on it makes the colored part of the eye appear in the normal position of the white area instead of over towards the corner. Prosthetic lenses can hide such inconsistencies which can make the eyes look less awkward and gives the affected person a much higher level of self-confidence.

Unlike traditional contact lenses these prosthesis's are not necessarily used to correct a problem with vision but they can also be made to double for this task as well. Usually, however they are just cosmetic. In most cases the reason for the prosthetic lens is unique and must be manufactured specifically for the individual.

Caring for a prosthetic contact lens is usually the same routine as the care for regular contact lens. Typically these lenses are not disposable because they must be custom-made so the wearer must submit to the rigors of daily cleaning and disinfecting as well as weekly enzyme cleaning. This is all very critical as clean lenses are key factors in the health of your eye.